In a speech to journalists at the University of Kansas on Friday, Curley said news organizations must demand that the Pentagon negotiate new rules for covering conflicts.

He said both civilian officials and military leaders have cracked down on independent reporting from the battlefield, with the goal of suppressing news that's unflattering. Curley said top commanders warned him that if AP stuck by its journalistic principles, "The AP and I would be ruined."

Curley came to the university to receive a national citation for journalistic excellence.